Ring-tray.



" No; 683,998. Patented-Oct 8,-.l90L

F. w. sElnL.

RING TRAY.

(Application tiled Feb. 25, 1901.) (un Modl.)

N \h\ Q UNITED STATES PATENT UEETCE.

FRANK W. SEIDL, OF MANITOVOC, 7WISCONSIN.

RING-TRAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 683,998, dated October 8, 1901.

Application filed February 25, 1901. Serial No. 48,6 76. (No model..l

To all whom, t bury concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK WV. SEIDL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Manitowoc, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ring-Trays; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention has especial reference to trays employed by those in the jewelry business vfor the display of finger-rings; and it consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as will be fully set forth hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings, and subsequently claimed.

In the said drawings, Figure l is a plan view of one of my improved trays, showing also a portion of the strip covering the horizontal spring-plate. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional View taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Heretofore the ring-trays in ordinary use in jewelers establishments have consisted of iat open shallow boxes with partition-strips, usuallyT covered with plush or velvet, the space between each two adjacent partitions being just suficient to accommodatel the rings slipped vertioallytherein. This construction is objectionable for several reasons, among which is the fact that no matter how carefully the rings may be assorted as to size or otherwise the same quickly become mixed up by the handling ofcustomers, besides which the said rings are loosely inserted in the described spaces between the partitions, and hence are liable to be removed surreptitiously and lost, all of which objections are obviated by my present invention.

Referring to the drawings, A represents the tray proper, the same consisting, as formerly, of a fiat shallow open box upholstered in any suitable manner, and in the preferred form of tray illustrated in the present case the said box is centrally provided with a 1ongitudinal strip B, which is shown removably secured in place, as by the screws b b (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l.) This strip may also be suitably upholstered to match the lining of the box referred to. To this strip there is secured, as by screws a` a, a plate C, having spring-tongues c c c projecting laterally therefrom, the said plate and its tongues being preferably formed integrally and stamped out of spring metal. D D represent other metal plates having springtongues cl d projecting therefrom, these tongues being perforated, as shown, and the plates D being secured, as by screws ff, to the inner surfaces of the sides of the tray, the said spring-tongues d being bent, as best shown in Fig. 2, and projecting to a plane considerably below that of the tops of said sides, so that the said tongues cannot readily be reached by the fingers of a person examining said tray.

E E E represent a series of ring-holding fingers secured at their inner ends, as by screws or nails g g, to the spring-tongues c c and having longitudinally-projeoting pins e e at their outer or free ends for engagement with the described perforations in the springtongues d d. These fingers E E may also be upholstered or ornamented as desired and vary in diameter, being preferably arranged in regularly increasing standard ring sizes and half sizes, so that all the rings of a specified size shall fit snugly thereon.

The described partition-strip B, with the plate C thereon,is preferably covered with a strip F of suitable material, such as morocco or other leather, properly stamped with the size-number of the adjacent ngers E E, as indicated at 5, 5%, and 12 in Fig. 1, wherein is shown a tray having nineteen lingers arranged in double series, those on one side of the partition-strip B being understood as forholding allthe standard sizes and half sizes from four to eight and one-half, and those on the opposite side for rings of the sizes and half sizes from nine to thirteen. It will be understood, of course, that the arrangement and the number of Iingers employed is purely optional, and with trays for samplecases, forexample, it may be preferable to have only a single row of fingers to better fit said cases; but the arrangement shown in Fig. l will be found very convenient for the retail jeweler in the majority of cases. I prefer to make the strip to which the springtongues c are secured removable, as stated, as

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thereby the same, with the attached fingers, can be readily detached from the trayA and lifted out to facilitate cleaning the lining of the said tray, and while I have shown the preferred construction of my device it will be understood that the same may be varied Within the scope of the claims Without departure from the spirit of my invention.

In practice the bent end of any ofthe springtongues d may be readily bent back with any suitable sharp instrument, so as to free the pin e on the adjacent finger E from engagement With the perforation in the tongue, and then the spring-tongue c, attached to said iinger, Will automatically raise the same to the position shown in Fig. 2, when any ring on said inger may he readily removed and as easily replaced thereon, whereby confusion of the rings is avoided, those of any one size always being supported on the same finger.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A ring-tray, comprising a suitable box having a series of lifting-springs, and ringcarrying ingers secured thereto, and a series of detents for holding said fingers in their depressed or closed position.

2. In a ring-tray, the combination with a suitable box, of a series of springtongues projecting therefrom, fingers secured to said tongues, and normally adapted to be raised by said springs, and other spring-tongues tongues and another series ofspring-tongues for detachably holding the opposite ends of said fingers.

5. In a ring-tray, the combination with a suitable box of a supporting-strip having springstongues projecting therefrom, a series of ring-carrying fingers secu red atone end to said springtongues, and having pins projecting from their opposite ends, and another series of springtongues having perforations therethrough for releasable engagement with said pins.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Manitowoc, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Viscousin, in the presence of two Witnesses.

FRANK W'. SEIDI..

fitnessesz HENRY MEANY, P. J. McMAnoN. 

